Co-designing a new Fisheries Act for Northern Ireland
Policy co-design is a collaborative process that involves stakeholders and end-users in the design of policies. It's a way to create more informed decisions that meet the needs of a community by drawing on the expertise of people and organizations.
ARG's September meeting included a presentation from DAERA on a new Fisheries Act and the involvement of ARG members in its co-design. It is widely acknowledged that major reform is needed as the current Fisheries Act dates back to 1966 when the Northern Ireland aquaculture sector had only just started and the regulatory environment was very different. ARG and its members are committed to working with DAERA to ensure the new Fisheries Act is a substantial improvement on the current licensing system, which is too lengthy, cumbersome and uncertain which prevents investment in the sustainable development of the aquaculture sector.
Since the group meeting, ARG members met with the DAERA policy team throughout Q4 to share their experiences with the current system and highlight the specific issues that shellfish operators in the marine environment and freshwater trout producers are facing.
